Saint Arnold Elissa IPA

Brewed by Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Houston, Texas USA

Bottle. Pours a hazy copper color with a medium off white head. Aroma of grapefruit, pine, hops, and malt. Taste of citrus, caramel, hops, light yeast and spices. Has a mild dry bitter finish. Nice beer!

12 oz. bottle received in trade with MaltoMeal. Beautiful amber, golden pour with a slight haze to it. Thin, receding white head. Huge floral hop nose. Fairly substantial palate. Beer has some body to it. Intense hop flavor without being overwhelmingly bitter. Nicely balanced with a malt backbone.

Bottle in trade with BeerandBlues2. Moderate malty and hoppy nose. Pours a translucent auburn with a thin head. Crisp tingly hops from start to finish. Body is quick and overall a bit on the thin side. Easy drinking with a very pleasant balanced finish.

On tap @gingerman Austin TX. Pours a orange hazy color with a nice white head. Aroma is citrusy hops, malt and pine. Flavor is hoppy, balanced out with a bit of malt and a interesting sweetness to it. Decent IPA.

12oz bottle. Pours a pretty burnt orange color with a small/medium soapy white head wth good retention and lacing. Aroma reminds me of an Avery IPA. Biscuity, subtle hops of the floral variety. I really wish everyone bottle dated their beers. Who knows how fresh this is. Small citrus, orange like aromas. Certainly does not pack the hop punch I come to expect and desire in a decent IPA. Flavor is significantly hoppier in flavor than the nose - perhaps this is a fresh bottle and the aroma isn’t that good? Semi-sweet with a grainy mouthfeel and a bit of coarseness. Slight astringency and a bitter and metallic finish. My review sounds worse than the experience of drinking it but it’s certainly not anything special.

12oz Stubby Received in a recent trade with TPoling, thanks again Travis! Elissa’s body appears a faded copper with a touch of haze from miniscule particles suspended throughout that you only notice when taking a very close look. The clean white head grew to a healthy two fingers on the pour and slowly receded to a solid, ruddy cap. The head left patchy lacing here and there, some bigger then others. This smells like a very well balanced IPA. The hops come along as a rather unique. This is an all Cascade IPA but they don’t come across in the traditional sense. Orange oils up front are quickly matched by a very floral, perfume like hoppiness. A touch of alcohol comes along very ghost-like but the malts come across a little doughy with some light toffee notes. Elissa smells appetizing although usually not my style of IPA. Flavor is softer then the aroma but the floral and perfumy hops still abound with a hint of the orange oils. Slightly doughy malts combine with the toffee from the aroma. A touch of caramel on the finish meets up with candied orange peel. Again, this isn’t my style of IPA but it is very well balanced and tasty none the less. The orange oil gets left behind to linger for awhile after each drink. The mouthfeel fits this beer very nicely. The carbonation is on the lower side but what’s there creates a silky smoothness. I didn’t get the bitterness upfront but about halfway through the glass I can feel it on my lips. It grows the more I drink. The balance of this beer makes for easy drinkability. The mouthfeel and balance combine to create an easy quaffer that I would have no trouble drinking more then a couple. I believe this is my first from St. Arnold and it’s a tasty treat. I enjoy the West Coast style IPAs but this is a good, nicely balanced, drinkable version of the style. I’d be happy to drink more Elissa. 5/25/08

Pours copper amber color thin light head. Slightly floral/hop aroma. Crisp mouthfeel, but lacking the bitterness and complexity of a great IPA. This is a good IPA, and pretty darn good out of Texas, but not quite there. . . as much as I want it to be.

12-oz. bottle received via trade with llcooldave. Pours hazy orange with an average, frothy, off-white head, somewhat lasting with good lacing. Aroma is average malt (grain, cereal), heavy hops (grass, citrus, pine), average yeast (sweat) with notes of pear and grape. Medium bodied, sticky texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, light sweetness, heavy acidity and bitterness.